Photo courtesy of the LA Galaxy.
Ruqiu Puig, right, made his debut for the LA Galaxy on Friday night.
Two teams in the hunt for the MLS Cup Playoffs met on Friday night, and the flow of the match perfectly summed up the level of desire for both teams to make the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders traded run in its match at Dignity Health Sports Park. The Galaxy raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, only to see the Sounders come alive with three unanswered goals to take the lead, but just when it looked like the Sounders were about to steal all three points, Video Review saved the Galaxy as it awarded them a late penalty,which they converted late in the second half and thus salvaged the 3-3 draw.
“It’s kind of mixed feelings, because it could have been a lot worse,” Galaxy keeper Jonathan Bond said. “we’re disappointed to give the two up lead away. It’s one of those things, you know, we keep Seattle behind us. We get a point. So, we do take a small step forward, and we get to learn from some of the things that happened kind of thing.”
In the end, the split points helped both teams. The Galaxy (10-11-4, 34 points) now sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, while Seattle (10-13-3, 33 points) are now in a four-way tie with its Cascadia rivals Portland and Vancouver as well as Nashville SC for the seventh and final playoff spot, though Seattle currently get the nod, as the Sounders have more wins than either team.
The Galaxy edged ahead in the 10th minute. Kevin Cabral crossed into the penalty area to Chicharito, who took a touch that enabled him to race in between two Sounders defenders, then took the shot just outside the six-yard box that beat keeper Stefan Frei far post. The Galaxy doubled the advantage in spectacular fashion in the 41st minute, as Victor Vazquez sent a ball from the right towards the back post from about 18 yards out, the ball sailed past Frei and tucked in at the upper corner, going off the inside post and across the goal line.
“It was more a shot, because I saw the goalkeeper a bit off from the goal,” Vazquez said . “I tried to shoot for the goal, but the goal looks more like it’s an amazing goal, but I didn’t want to put it right in the corner. But I saw [Stefan] Frei a bit [off his line]and then I tried it and it worked.”
Seattle however flipped the script in the second half. The Sounders ended the shutout in the 53rd minute, as Raul Ruidiaz took a ball from Cristian Roldan and dribbled into the penalty area, Ruidiaz played a ball outside of the six-yard box and fired a right footed volley that curled past keeper Jonathan Bond into the upper corner. Seattle then tied the match in the 61st minute off a crazy turn of events. Albert Rusnak saw two shots hit off the framework and a rebound chance by Jordan Morris was stopped, bu Seattle held onto the ball, then finally pushed across the tying goal, as Nico Lodeiro crossed into the penalty area and Ruidiaz headed a ball past Bond far post. Seattle then completed its comeback in the 73rd minute, as Lodeiro sent another cross into the penalty area, Yeimar Gomez Andrade’s header was saved, but Morris was in the right place at the right time, as he swooped into the six-yard box and tapped in the rebound chance into the open net to give the Sounders an unlikely lead.
“We’re up two goals in the first half, but we were still having some issues, just, organizing the defensive side of things,” LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “I just felt like we were a little disconnected in our movements, and they were able to hold possession. They didn’t create a ton in the first half, but I felt coming in at 2-0, I was still a little uncomfortable with the defensive side of things, in terms of managing it.”
The Galaxy were given one last chance to salvage a point. It started in the 88th minute, as Douglas Costa sent a corner into the penalty area, Dejan Joveljic headed a ball that was saved by Frei. However, moments later, referee Victor Rivas went to video review, and what showed was Joveljic’s header went off the hand of the Sounders Xavier Arreaga inside the penalty area, Rivas saw that and signaled the Galaxy to the penalty spot. Two minutes later, as the match went into stoppage time, Joveljic converted the penalty to level the match.
There was another positive for the Galaxy in the match, as it gave them a chance to get its latest high-profile signing, Ruqui Puig, into the match. Puig, who was signed almost two weeks ago from FC Barcelona, entered the match along with Costa in the 62nd minute.
“I think he was dynamic,” Vanney said of Puig’s debut. “He was getting the ball moving, he’s moving around the field. Getting a feel for his teammates. Getting a feel for the league. The group. But you can see how shifty and quick he is, and he can get between lines and get to the next line.”
The Galaxy head on the road for its next two matches, starting with a trip to Foxboro MA to face the England Revolution on the 28th.
